Beaded platform welt



Sept. 7, 1965 F. L. SHEA 3,

BEADED PLATFORM WELT Filed June 17, 1964 Fl G 4 INVENTOR.

FRANCIS L. SHEA BY GM 62mm ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,204,349BEADED PLATFORM WELT Francis L. Shea, Wollaston, Mass., assignor toBarbour Welting Company, Inc., Brockton, Mass., a corporation ofMassachusetts Filed June 17, 1964, Ser. No. 375,841 4 Claims. (CI.36-78) This invention relates to a shoe welt and particularly to abeaded platform welt.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved grainleather beaded platform welt which may be economically manufactured andwhich is characterized by structure presenting a continuous grainleather surface around the top, marginal edge and bottom surface of thebeaded platform capable of taking a high polish to present asubstantially uniform and attractive appearance.

The invention has for a further object to provide a novel and improvedmethod of making a beaded platform welt of the character specified.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafterappear, the invention consists in the beaded platform welt and in themethod of making the same as hereinafter described and particularlydefined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fillet of grain leather from which thepresent beaded platform welt is produced; and- FIGS. 2 to 5 areperspective views illustrating the steps of cutting and folding thefillet to produce the present beaded platform welt.

In general the present invention contemplates a novel and improvedbeaded platform welt and method of making the same from a unitary grainleather fillet. Preferably, the invention contemplates a beaded platformwelt wherein integral, hingedly connected portions of the fillet arefolded one upon the other and shaped to provide a bead core, and a grainleather cover flap also integral with and hingedly connected to thefillet is wrapped about the shaped structure to provide a continuousgrain leather surface around the bottom, marginal edge and top of thebead core. The invention further enables the present beaded platformwelt to be manufactured in a manner which results in a substantialsaving in leather over the amount required to construct prior similarwelting of which I am aware.

Referring now to the drawings, represents a rectangular fillet of grainleather, 7 in width and A3" thick, having a flesh surface 12 on itsupper face and a grain surface 14 on its lower face. The first step inproducing the present beaded platform welt is to make an incision in aflesh edge 16, starting about above the grain surface at said edge andextended along a slightly upwardly inclined line 18, terminating at apoint about /2" inwardly from the flesh edge 16 and about up from thegrain surface. The incision is then continued vertically upward along aline 20 to a point about below the flesh surface 12 as shown in FIG. 2.These incisions provide a relatively thin tapered grain flap portion 22hinged at 24 to a grain section 26; and a flesh section 28 hinged at 30.

The next step in producing the present shoe welt is to fold the fleshsection 28 upwardly and inwardly on its hinge 30 through 180 to presentthe flesh section 28 against the flesh surface 12 of the upper face ofthe section 26, thus providing an integral two-part structure compris-3,284,349 Patented Sept. 7, 1965 ing the sections 26 and 28 which may becemented together as shown in FIG. 3. It will be observed that thisfolding operation leaves a portion 32 extending beyond the oppositeflesh edge 34 of the fillet.

The structure thus folded and cemented is then cut to provide a fleshbead core structure 36 and an inseam flange 38, as shown in FIG. 4, bymaking an incision at a point spaced about from the shoulder 40 definingthe edge of the two-part portion, the incision extending downwardly atan angle of about 45 along a line 42 to a point a short distance belowthe section 28 and into the underlying section 26, as indicated at 44,which is about above the grain surface 14. The incision is thencontinued at a downwardly inclined angle from the point 44 along a line46, terminating at the edge 34 at a point 48, about above the bottomgrain surface 14, as shown in FIG. 4, thus providing an inseam flange38. The parts thus cut 0E, comprising portions of the sections 26, 28and including the extension 32, may be discarded.

The relatively thin tapered grain flap portion 22 is then foldedupwardly and inwardly on its hinge 24 against the shoulder 40 and overthe bead core 36 onto a portion of the inseam flange 38, as shown inFIG. 5, the flap being cemented against its engaging surfaces. As thusconstructed, it will be seen that a beaded platform welt is providedhaving a continuous grain surface around the bottom, platform edge andbead, as indicated at 49, and over a portion of the inseam flange 38.The beaded platform welt may then be molded and provided with astitching groove 50 on its underside as shown.

From the above description it will be seen that the present beadedplatform welt provides a sturdy and eflicient welt presenting a fullgrain surface about the bottom, marginal edge and top of the beadcapable of receiving a high polish. A durable and attractive beaded weltis thus produced in a relatively simple and economical manner with asubstantial saving of leather as compared with prior similar welting.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been hereinillustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention maybe embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A beaded platform welt made from a fillet of grain leather comprisinga body portion having a grain surface on its underside, a platform beadalong one marginal edge, and an inseam flange along the other marginaledge, said platform bead including an upstanding core portion integralwith said body portion, and a grain flap coextensive with saidundersurface covering adjacent the edge and the top of said core portionproviding a continuous grain surface along the bottom, marginal edge andtop of the beaded platform.

2. A beaded platform welt made from a fillet of grain leather comprisinga body portion having a platform bead along one marginal edge and aninseam flange along the other marginal edge, said body portion having agrain surface on its underside, an upstanding core portion integral withand hingedly connected to said body portion, and a grain flap integralwith and hingedly connected to the underside of the body adjacent themarginal edge of the bead, said grain flap extending upwardly againstthe edge of the body and the bead core and over the top of the bead anda portion of said inseam flange.

3. A beaded platform welt as defined in claim 2 wherein the hingedlyconnected core is adhesively secured to the body portion, and whereinthe grain flap is adhesively secured to said edge, core and inseamflange portion.

4. A beaded platform welt made from a grain leather fillet comprising abody portion having a platform bead along one marginal edge and abeveled inseam flange along the other marginal edge, the underside ofsaid body portion having a grain surface andprovided with an integralgrain flap, an upstanding bead core portion hingedly connected to thebody portionand adhesively secured thereto, said grain flap hingedlyconnected to the body portion and folded and adhesively secured to theedge and top of the bead core and to a portion of said beveled inseamflange providing a continuous grain surface along the bottom, marginaledge and top of the beaded platform.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Arnold et a1.36--78 White 3678 Vizard 3678 Greene 12146 Shea 3678 Greene 12146 Rubico36-78 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

FRANK J. COHEN, Examiner.

1. A BEADED PLATFORM WELT MADE FROM A FILLET OF GRAIN LEATHER COMPRISINGA BODY PORTION HAVING A GRAIN SURFACE ON ITS UNDERSIDE, A PLATFORM BEADALONG ONE MARGINAL EDGE AND AN INSEAM FLANGE ALONG THE OTHER MARGINALEDGE, SAID PLATFORM BEAD INCLUDING AN UPSTANDING CORE PORTION INTEGRALWITH SAID BODY PORTION, AND A GRAIN FLAP COEXTENSIVE WITH SAIDUNDERSURFACE COVERING ADJACENT THE EDGE AND THE TOP OF SAID CORE PORTIONPROVIDING A CONTINUOUS GRAIN SURFACE ALONG THE BOTTOM, MARGINAL EDGE ANDTOP OF THE BEADED PLATFORM.